Sol-Gel Synthesis of TiO2/SiO2 and ZnO/SiO2 Composite Films and Evaluation of Their Photocatalytic Activity towards Methyl Green

Abstract

The TiO2/SiO2 and ZnO/SiO2 composite films were prepared by sol-gel dip coating method. The surface morphology and crystal structure of thin films were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elementary dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Optical properties of films have been investigated using ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV-visible spectroscopy). The photocatalytic activity was established by testing the degradation and decolorization of methyl green (MG) from aqueous solution with artificial UV-light.